Vassiliki Thanou

At least 28 people drowned in another migrant tragedy off Greece on Sunday, as Athens angrily defended its handling of the mounting refugee crisis in Europe. 

European Commission Vice-president Frans Timmermans and Migration & Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos met with Greek leadership on Thursday to focus directly on the migration crisis that has drastically affected several Greek isles and even replaced the “Greece-euro issue” as the main worry in Europe.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was very clear in his congratulatory letter to Greece’s new catetaker Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou, limiting the diplomatic courtesies to his first paragraph. 

Who’s who: Vassiliki Thanou

Greek Supreme Court president Vassiliki Thanou is the first female prime minister of Greece, serving as a caretaker premier for what will be roughly a month in office.

She was sworn in on Thursday.

Greece geared up for its fifth election in six years with a poll on Aug. 28 showing leftist leader Alexis Tsipras in the lead for re-election despite a wave of defections from his Syriza party.

"Today the great electoral battle begins. The Greek people will give a strong mandate for the present and the future," Tsipras said in a statement to Avgi, the Syriza daily.

A new caretaker government until snap elections next month will be sworn-in on Friday, with Supreme Court justice Vassiliki Thanou as prime minister. The Cabinet, as announced, includes:

Foreign Minister: Petros Molyviatis

Alternate Minister for European Affairs: Spyros Flogaitis

Interior Minister: Antonis Manitakis